Mop construction



Feb. 18, 1964 w. P. PETTETT MOP CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 27, 1961 INVENTOR. Wf/flam 2 P2 fie ff 7" ATTOAMFKS.

United States Patent 3,121,246 MOP CONSTRUCTION William P. Pettett, Grove, 0kla., assignor to Pettett Manufacturing Company, Inc., Miami, Okla, a corporation of Oklahoma Filed Feb. 27, 1961, Ser. No. 91,777 3 Claims. (Cl. 15229) This invention relates to the construction of mops and more particularly, to those mops to be used in wet mopping floors or like surfaces.

The most important object of this invention is to provide a mop having a durable and eflicient clamping memher which may be quickly and easily formed from one piece of material.

A further object is to provide such a member which may be stamped from an initially flat sheet of material such as sheet metal or the like.

Another object is to provide a mop having a head which may be quickly and easily detached from its handle without the necessity of touching the mop head.

Another object is to provide a mop where the strands are clamped around an arcuate surface minimizing contact with sharp edges of the clamp and thereby lengthening the effective life of the mop.

Yet further objects of this invention will become apparent in the course of the specification.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a mop assembly with parts thereof broken away and shown in cross section for clarity of illustration;

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of the mop assembly;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of the plate from which a clamp ing member and fingers are formed; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view along line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

The mop assembly broadly designated in FIG. 1, includes a mop head 12 and a handle section 14. The head 12 includes a generally elongated, U-shaped clamping member 16 having a mop body 18 securely clamped thereto. The body 18 is preferably formed from a plurality of elongated, bendable, water absorbent strands 20 having their ends free and bent back upon themselves with the region of the bend securely clamped to the clamping member 16.

In the embodiment of the invention chosen for illustration, an initially flat piece of sheet metal 22, cut to a configuration as illustrated in FIG. 3, is provided with an aperture 24. The sheet 22 is generally rectangular and has elongated projections or fingers 26 and 28 secured to each end thereof as shown. The fingers 26 and 28 are provided with transverse fold lines 30 and 32 respectively. Fold lines 34 and 36 are also provided at the points of juncture of fingers 26 and 28 with the rectangular sheet 22. Longitudinal fold lines 38 and 40 are provided on either of the longer sides of the rectangular body or sheet 22. Fingers 26 and 28 are initially pressed to present convex surfaces 42 and 44. A bolt having a head 48 and threaded shank '50, is disposed through aperture 24 so that the head 48 engages sheet 22.

In the construction of the mop head 12, the strands 20 are disposed transversely across the sheet 22. Fingers 26 and 28 are folded on fold lines 30, 34, 32 and 36 respectively so that they are bent back on sheet 22 to clamp the plurality of strands 20 securely in place. The fingers 26 and 28, when folded as shown in FIG. 1, are sufficiently long so that a portion of each underlies the head 48 of bolt 46.

Having clamped the strands 20 to sheet 22, the sheet 22 is then bent into the transversely U-shaped, elongated clamping member 16 having an arcuate bight portion 52 presenting a concave surface 54 and a pair of depending flanges 56 and 58 integral thereto. It may be readily seen 3,121,245 Patented Feb. 18, 1964 from FIG. 4 that the concave surface 54 overlies the concentric, convex surface 42 of the fingers 26 and 28 and is in spaced relationship with the surface 42. The region of bend of each strand 20 is securely clamped between surfaces 42 and 54.

A vertical end portion 60 is bent from that part of finger 26 lying between fold lines 34 and 30. This portion 60 provides a clamp to prevent the strands 20 from escaping from between surfaces 42 and 54. A similar portion 62 is bent from finger 28 to perform an identical function at the opposite end of the member 16.

Longitudinally extending lips 64 and 66 are bent from flanges 56 and 58 respectively to impinge upon the plurality of strands 20 to assist in clamping the latter.

A preferably wooden handle 68 is coupled adjacent one end to a metallic receiver 70 having a threaded aperture (not shown). The receiver 70 is adapted to receive the shank '50 in order to releasably couple mop head 12 to the handle 68.

It is thus apparent that an efficient and durable mop assembly has been constructed from an initially flat plate 22 of sheet metal or the like, using a of manufacturing methods. Inasmuch as the strands 2d are clamped between arcuate surfaces 42 and 54, no sharp edges are presented to cut or fray the strands 20. Therefor, the mop embodying the principles of this invention will have a longer and more useful life than other mops. The bolt 46 clamped between surface 54 and the fingers 26 and 28, provides a means of coupling the handle 68 to the head 12 which may be quickly and easily disengaged. Inasmuch as the receiver 70 is threaded upon the shank 50, the handle 68 may be unscrewed from the head 1-2 without it being necessary to remove the hands from the handle 68. This will provide for ready means for interchanging heads 12 when they become worn or too soiled for further use without it becoming necessary to grasp the soiled head .12.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by letters Patent is:

1. In mop apparatus, means for securing a mop body to a handle including an elongated, transversely U-shaped clamping member provided with a bight and a pair of opposed, spaced flanges extending the length of said member thereby defining a generally concave inner surface, said bight having an aperture therethrough intermediate the ends of said member; a pair of elongated fingers integral with said member at the ends thereof and initially extending outwardly therefrom in opposed directions, each of said fingers having a generally convex surface and having a transverse width throughout the length thereof less than the transverse width of said member, said fingers being bent adjacent the junctions thereof with said member and extending toward each other between said flanges in spaced relationship with said bight and with the said convex surfaces thereof facing said bight in clamping relationship to said body; means on said flanges for gripping said body; and screw means extending through said aperture and projecting outwardly rom said member for coupling said member to said handle.

2. Apparatus as described in claim 1, wherein said gripping means includes a pair of elongated lips substantially parallel throughout the length thereof to the longitudinal axis of said member, each of said lips extending generally inwardly and adapted to engage said body.

3. In an article of manufacture, an elongated, initially flat bendable strip of sheet material having a pair of opposed, longitudinal edges and a pair of projections at the ends thereof extending outwardly therefrom in opposed directions, the initial transverse width of said projections throughout the lengths thereof being less than the initial transverse width of said strip, the latter being bent along a plurality of longitudinally extending fold lines to form a transversely U-shaped clamping member having a bight and a pair of opposed, spaeed'flanges extending the length of said strip, said flanges each being bent inwardly along a longitudinally extending fold line to form a pair of 0pposed lips substantially parallel to the axis of said strip and extending the length thereof, each of said projections being initially bent along a fold line substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis thereof to present a generally convex surface extending substantially the length thereof, then bent toward said strip along a first trans verse line of fold at the juncture of the projection and the strip and subsequently bent along a second transverse line of fold on said projection to dispose the projections within said member in spaced relationship thereto.

UNITED STATES PATENTS Gilchrist Nov. 6, 1917 Henn-ing Jan. 6, 1920 Huguley Apr. 5, 1932 Tilne-y June 6, 1933 Olsen Jan. 25, 1955 Nomiya r l Aug. 2, 1955 Kalinowski Jan. 15, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain June 28, 1928 

1. IN MOP APPARATUS, MEANS FOR SECURING A MOP BODY TO A HANDLE INCLUDING AN ELONGATED, TRANSVERSELY U-SHAPED CLAMPING MEMBER PROVIDED WITH A BIGHT AND A PAIR OF OPPOSED, SPACED FLANGES EXTENDING THE LENGTH OF SAID MEMBER THEREBY DEFINING A GENERALLY CONCAVE INNER SURFACE, SAID BIGHT HAVING AN APERTURE THERETHROUGH INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF SAID MEMBER; A PAIR OF ELONGATED FINGERS INTEGRAL WITH SAID MEMBER AT THE ENDS THEREOF AND INITIALLY EXTENDING OUTWARDLY THEREFROM IN OPPOSED DIRECTIONS, EACH OF SAID FINGERS HAVING A GENERALLY CONVEX SURFACE AND HAVING A TRANSVERSE WIDTH THROUGHOUT THE LENGTH THEREOF LESS THAN THE TRANSVERSE WIDTH OF SAID MEMBER, SAID FINGERS BEING BENT ADJACENT THE JUNCTIONS THEREOF WITH SAID MEMBER AND EXTENDING TOWARD EACH OTHER BETWEEN SAID FLANGES IN SPACED RELATIONSHIP WITH SAID BIGHT AND WITH THE SAID CONVEX SURFACES THEREOF FACING SAID BIGHT IN CLAMPING RELATIONSHIP TO SAID BODY; MEANS ON SAID FLANGES FOR GRIPPING SAID BODY; AND SCREW MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH SAID APERTURE AND PROJECTING OUTWARDLY FROM SAID MEMBER FOR COUPLING SAID MEMBER TO SAID HANDLE. 